Give Andrew Janz credit. He answered the question of whether you can vote one-handed with a baby on your shoulder. The Fresno mayoral candidate appeared at the voting center at the Central California Blood Center this week with his wife, Heather, and newborn, Wilhelmina. Janz was able to fill out...
Opinion: Honor Chavez Legacy by Confronting UFW Corruption
Cesar Chavez spent his life trying to improve life for farmworkers, fighting for changes he felt would bring about civil rights and justice for workers. At the end of this month, California state legislators plan to honor Cesar Chavez’s birthday as a day of public service. The work Cesar Chavez...
Before Losing Quorum, ALRB Rules in Favor of Longtime Nemesis
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s latest pick for the California Public Utilities Commission will leave her former board shorthanded. Last week, Newsom appointed Genevieve Shiroma to the CPUC. She had served on the Agricultural Labor Relations Board since 1999. A Newsom spokesman says Shiroma will be unable to hold both positions. The...
What’s Motivating Dan Gerawan’s Election Spending?
It’s not unusual for independent expenditure money to pour into a race. But it is uncommon for a contributor to go solo. Dan Gerawan, owner of Fresno-based Gerawan Farms, spent $19,200 each on two independent expenditures opposing Democratic candidates in the Central Valley. Instead of contributing the money to a...
Cox Blasts High-Speed Rail as 'Monument to Corruption'
Earlier this month, Gavin Newsom rolled into Fresno on a big blue bus. Thursday (Sept. 27), his gubernatorial opponent John Cox rolled into town in a big green bus. Cox, the Republican candidate, met with Sheriff Margaret Mims, taking a tour of a jail program. Then, his bus rolled to...
Five Years Later, Tally Shows Gerawan Workers Want UFW Gone
“No Union. No Union.” That was the refrain from ALRB field examiner Veronica Cervantes as she read off ballots Tuesday from a 2013 election asking Gerawan Farming workers whether they wanted United Farm Workers union representation. At the end of the nearly five-hour count, 1,098 ballots indicated that Gerawan workers...
Supervisor Mendes Floats Alternate Site for Animal Shelter
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors hit the pause button Tuesday on whether to approve a zoning change that would permit a low-cost animal shelter/clinic to be built in northwest Fresno. Now, one supervisor has raised the possibility of the county building an animal shelter in a different part of the...
ALRB Wrong Not To Count Gerawan Votes, Court Rules
A California appeal court granted a unanimous victory today to farmworkers who want their votes counted in a dispute over UFW representation. The Fresno-based 5th District Court of Appeal ordered the Agricultural Labor Relations Board, the state agency in charge of settling farm labor disputes, to reconsider its decision to nullify...
Is Crime Going Up or Down in Clovis?
Crime in Clovis dipped slightly in 2017 compared to the prior year. Police Chief Matt Basgall will present his findings to the Clovis City Council on Monday (Mar. 5). Crimes defined by the FBI decreased 3% year-over-year, and calls for service fell 4%. Breaking down the changes in the type of...
No DQ: Witness Comes Forward in ALRB Case
The identity of the witness behind Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB) member Isadore Hall’s alleged threats against those who oppose him has been revealed. State Senator Andy Vidak (R-Hanford) initially called attention to a “profanity-laced tirade” in a letter to Senate President Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) on March 13,...